my child has a language impairment!
Developmental Language Disorder is a commonly used term for students with disabilities who have a language impairment.
essential skills: words, phrases, and meaning
Language is first acquired and mastered as memorized chunks of sound. The language learner hears words and phrases, and starts to make connections between words and objects or words and actions. Words represent objects or actions. They also can have an effect on others. A common behavior for a two year old child is when they repeatedly ask the same question, or simply repeatedly say: ‘why’- What they have learned is that the a question provokes an answer. Attentive adults always respond when the child asks ‘why.’ So, words represent objects and actions, and can have an impact on the listener. These are the first and most basic aspects of language.
what it looks like when language is developing successfully
By their first year, children have learned that listening to words and producing words helps them get access to what they want or need. Words first emerge as consonant-vowel combinations (e.g. ‘ba’ or ‘ma’); are connected to objects (‘ba’ might be the word they use for bottle’, while ‘ma’ might be the word they use for milk. As their language skills improve, they may master two-word phrases, such as ‘me do,’ ‘Daddy go,’ ‘mommy up,” “go outside” and others. Articulation is not secure at this stage. The two-word chunks just listed might be pronounced as “mee-doo”, “Da-ee-go”, or mom-ee-uh” or “go-ow-sigh” All of these initially act as a single word, not as a true phrase or sentence. As children age, they start to mimic other speakers more carefully. Their speech improves steadily, and is fully understood by non-familiar adults by the age of four years. clear articulation takes 3 to 4 years to master.
While learning how to speak more clearly, children also learn that words can have multiple meanings and can be used in different settings. “Mommy up” does not just apply in a familiar setting such as home. It can also be used outside, or at the grocery store, for example. “I want” is a useful chunk of language, especially when the child learns that they can add a noun- and get their parents to give them a variety of foods or objects, not just one type of food or one object. Words mean the same thing even if the setting or situation changes. As children use words across settings, they also start to understand categories of words. The word ‘ball’ refers to all balls, not just the red ball they have in their bedroom. Finally, they learn that words can be combined. A longer phrase, such as “I want go home” is evidence that the child is learning to combine chunks of language (“I want” + “go home”). To negate the phrase, the child might say: “I want no go home.” Previously memorized words or chunks of language can be combined to create new meaning. Children typically learn these concepts of language in their second and third years of life. These concepts lay the groundwork for much more complex language skills in later years.
Most prechoolers have the language needed to understand and express themselves for all of the routine situations and settings of their day, and start to use language successfully in non-familiar situations and settings, such as speaking with peers or non-familiar adults. They are now speaking in phrases and short sentences. They have a much bigger vocabulary. Depending upon how much adults speak with them, young children can have a spoken word count of approximately 1000 words by age 3, 1500 words by age 4, and 2500 words by age 5. The actual count depends a lot on how much adults speak with children, and how often children get the chance to practice speaking with others.
what it looks like words are missing or under-developed
Children with Developmental Language Disorder struggle to master the skills of language discussed above. They may have difficulty finding the words they need to identify objects or actions. Or, they might not have an impact on their listener. They might repeat words that they hear, without checking to see if speaking the words has an impact on the listener. They might learn some words to get their needs and wants met, but not know how to use those words if the situation or setting changes. For example, if they are in an unfmailiar setting, they might not know how to ask for what they want because the setting is no longer familiar. They can understand many more. Children with developmental language disorder do gradually master these aspects of understanding and producing language, but it may take them more years of practice before they show the skills discussed above. one important aspect of their language learning is how many words they hear spoken to them. children can expand their vocabulary when they are spoken to, and when adults take the time to show them how to use language to identify objects, actions, categories. they can also learn how to combine words into phrases, modify phrases, and make sure that when they speak, they have an impact on the listener.
how to identify language learning difficulty
Many parents can recognize it when their child is struggling to master language. Narrative task, but they might have difficulty explaining what they see. It is not difficult to identify children with Developmental Language Disorder. One easy way to look at your child’s language skills is to obtain a naturally-occurring language sample. if your child is not speaking, you can still assess their language by showing them different objects and asking them: “show me the…”
You can also get a sense of their language if they are not even speaking to you. If your child is speaking, write down what they say. This information is really helpful to professionals. Or, ask them to look at a picture book with you. You can prompt the child by asking simple questions and get them talking. write down what they say. Better yet, turn on a recorder. after youve recorded your child’s speech, listen to the recording a few times. write down what your child said. you’ll learn a lot about your child’s vocabulary, ability to combine words and prhases, and abiltiy to have an impact on the listener if you look at a book together.
Start out by paying attention to the child’s understanding of nouns and verbs. Labeling objects is probably the most straightfoward task. You can say: “point to the…” and see if the child can point to a named object or can identify an action. Then, add some morphemes. You can ask: “What is happening?” or “What is going to happen next?” Start with the relatively simpler questions, such as those that start with “who,” “what" and “where.” Then, you can try to ask harder questions, such as “why” and “how.”
What is—
Who— Is this?
Who is —-running, flying, falling
Where is— the man, the dog, the grandmother, the bottle
What is— going to happen next?
What is— the girl thinking?
How — will she clean up the kitchen?
Why— is he sad/ happy?
Your goal is to get an overall sense of their level of language. The information you gather will help you decide what ‘next steps’ the child might be ready to master. Are they able to understand
Words, phrases, or sentences? If they are shy about speaking or not speaking, can they respond successfully by pointing, or by choosing the right option when given some choices?
When they speak, do they speak in single words, phrases, or full sentences?
Can they produce (articulate) the sounds of English clearly?
Do the sentences make sense?
When you get a language sample, consider audio-recording the sample, and then write it out verbatim. By taking the time to do this, you’ll have a good idea about what kinds of language-learning difficulties your child or student may have.
are you ready for a deeper dive?
the examples here serve as a foundation for later-emerging sklls. single words and phrases are only a starting point- most of the time, peole usually don’t speak in single words or phrases. they usually speak in sentences, and also use several sentences in a row. speak in complete sentences and also combine sentences to produce a narrative. your child will have to